Data was collected in July and August, and MONEY independently fact-checked information for each winner in September and early October.

See all of MONEY’s Best Banks winners

When selecting the best bank winners by state, MONEY excluded checking accounts that required a minimum balance greater than $1,500 to either open the account or waive monthly fees. Priority was given to banks whose checking accounts had no (or easily waived) monthly fees and low or no ATM fees.

MONEY also sought higher interest rates for checking and savings accounts. Additional factors included J.D. Power customer service ratings, when available, from the 2017 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study, geographic reach within a state, recent enforcement actions, and mobile app ratings in the iTunes and Google Play stores.